Time Explains Us
by ErykahMiszti
Summary: Post-The Gift. Buffy jumps into the portal and finds herself in another time trying to save a certain young poet from his vampire destiny.
1. Death Don't Become Her

TITLE: Time Explains Us 

AUTHOR: Erykah Miszti 

EMAIL: erykah@miszti.net

WEBSITE: 

RATING: R (mostly for language)

SUMMARY: Post-The Gift. Buffy jumps into the portal and finds herself in another time trying to save a certain young poet from his vampire destiny. // This is a revised version of this story dated 11/6/03 //

NOTES ON CANON: I started writing and plotting this after The Gift aired, therefore I am ignoring everything in 'Lies My Parents Told Me'. Canon for the show stops at The Gift, although you never know what else might crop up. ;-)

ARCHIVING: Anywhere but please keep this header intact. Telling me that you're archiving it would also be nice. 

DISCLAIMER: At least a couple of these characters and situations belong to Joss Whedon and some big nasty corporations. I'm just borrowing them in a very non-profit kind of way.

  
  


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Chapter One: Death Don't Become Her

No time, nowhere special, a sort of nebulous amalgam of energy thought about stuff and had a bit of an idea that it ran by it's associates…

Xxxxxx

Buffy forced her way back to consciousness. All her internal organs felt as if they had been smashed to a pulp and then reassembled all wrong. Her stomach heaved and gave up its contents in a series of sobbing coughs that made her tremble and drained her energy. It took minutes or hours - she couldn't be sure which - to get herself steady again. Stumbling to her feet and looking around her she came to a conclusion.

"Sure ain't Kansas." She muttered in awe.

Although she was standing in the shadows of a dark alleyway, the scene before her was a surprisingly bright gas lit street, bustling with people in old-fashioned dress. Buffy was prepared to take a wild guess at Victorian for the clothes and, from the accents all around her, probably England. The how and the why though were her big concern.

Last thing she remembered was saying goodbye to Dawn and throwing herself into the portal to close it. So, she guessed, the big questions were: where, when or what dimension was this? 

Scanning the crowd idly from the shadows - and wondering what to do now - Buffy's face froze as she saw three familiar faces walking towards her. Instinct made her retreat even further into the darkness behind her. 

Angelus. Darla. Drusilla.

They were all in the same get up as the locals, which probably meant that they were local to wherever this was. The way they touched each other, the way they spoke to each other, all showed the closeness the passing of time had unraveled by the age Buffy knew them from. Basically that left Buffy with two possibilities. Either this was some hideous nightmare being sent to plague her by a demon in a Hell dimension she'd crossed into through the portal, or the energy discharge from the portal closing had somehow sent her back in time. Neither was a nice thought.

Buffy watched the trio, fascinated, as Drusilla turned to follow a young man in a beige coat. The young man had the most ridiculous hairstyle Buffy had ever seen but that didn't mean he deserved to be killed by Dru. 

Buffy followed them.

She was a few moments too late. She arrived just in time to hear a girlie scream and see Dru pinning the man to the wall and chowing down. Buffy approached stealthily anyway and tapped Dru on the shoulder. The vampire let the body drop a split second before Buffy sent her fist flying into the other woman's face. 

Drusilla staggered back, more in shock than in pain, and Buffy moved to stand in front of the collapsed body of the man. The vampire stared at the strangely dressed woman who had gotten between her and her new playmate.

"He's mine." She hissed petulantly and stamped her foot. 

"Now, let me think about that... um... no... I don't think so." Buffy replied mockingly and the vampire frowned in confusion. "You never did have ANY dress sense did you, Dru? Hmm..." Buffy put her hand on her hip and looked the other woman up and down. "That outfit just screams nouveau riche." 

Drusilla flew at her in a rage but Buffy's fighting technique was unlike anything the vampire was going to see for a good fifty to seventy years and so it wasn't really a fair fight. It could have only ended two ways and Dru took the smart way of running like hell in the other direction. 

"I will have him!" She spat back over her shoulder. 

"Yeah, whatever." Buffy sighed. This day was just too weird for her. 

It was about then that she heard the gasping breaths coming from behind her. She turned to face what she had thought to be a dead body but it was now moving weakly, trying to stand.

"God…" She shook her head in disbelief. "What does it take you kill you?" 

She dropped to her knees next to him and tried to encourage him to stay still while she looked at his wounds. He made whimpering noises and she comforted him by rubbing his shoulder gently and holding his hand. She saw the deep gash in his neck; still pumping blood outwards… still killing him slowly. She ripped a corner from her shirt and held it firmly against the wound but it was obviously not enough. 

"We're gonna have to get you someplace where we can sort this out or…"

He looked up at her then and she found herself staring into pools of deep blue… Familiar pools of deep blue. 

"Spike?!" She choked out past a dry throat. Spike... Human... 

The brow of the young man, dying in front of her, creased in confusion. He shook his head, sending more of his blood rushing through the thin fabric and out over Buffy's fingers.

"William." He whispered hoarsely. "C-C-Castlemaine. At your service, Miss…" 

Buffy laughed and dragged her gaze away from his. She focused on the bleeding gash in his neck instead. 

"No, I think I'm at yours actually." She told him. "Is there somewhere I can take you? You need a doctor." 

"Uncle Morty's a…" He paused to lick dried out lips. "...a doctor. Need to get home first." 

"Fine. We go to your place then and they can call him." Buffy sighed. "This day just keeps getting weirder." 

Buffy made him hold the compress to his own neck while she took the brunt of his weight. 

Xxxxxx

To say that William's house was a surprise to Buffy would have been an understatement. The elegant Victorian townhouse reeked of both class and money. 

The servants had looked at her very strangely when she'd rung the bell but then they'd seen the body of who they called their "young master" in her arms and had welcome her into the house. "Young William" had eventually passed out a few streets back and she'd been carrying him ever since. 

Buffy had refused all help to carry him until she had been able to lay him down onto a bed. Once there she was pushed away firmly by the servants and reduced to standing by in the doorway as they fussed around him with bowls of water, blankets and towels. 

It took some moments more before the shock of it hit her that she was standing in his bedroom and that she had just saved him from Drusilla. Buffy collapsed against the doorframe. She'd just stopped Spike from becoming a vampire. What the hell had she done...

Buffy's vision swam and everything faded away to black as she did a very un-Buffy-like thing and fainted dead away. 

Xxxxxx

"Everything's wrong." Drusilla whined and curled herself tighter into a ball on the floor. "It's all gone strange." 

Darla rolled her eyes in disgust. 

"We can get you a different playmate." She told the mad vampire with barely restrained scorn. 

"No!" Drusilla looked up at her with fire in her eyes. "He's mine! She can't have him yet!" 

"Who can't, Drusilla?" Angelus asked softly as he knelt down beside her. Drusilla practically cooed under his gaze. 

Darla turned away with a derisive glare. 

"The Dead Girl." Dru hissed. "The Slayer." 

"Slayer?" Angelus asked, his interest suddenly piqued. "Dead Girl..? What do you see, Dru?" 

Insanity was blazing in her eyes as she looked directly into his. 

"Everything's wrong. Wrong people, wrong times, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong…"

Drusilla went into a fit screaming the word. Darla turned back to them laughing. Angelus glared at her over his shoulder but put his hands onto Drusilla's shoulders to calm her.

"Dru." He said trying to get her attention but she kept repeating the word.. "Drusilla." She focused back on him at last. "We'll get you back your playmate." He looked back up at Darla. "And we'll get ourselves a Slayer."

Darla's face curled into a grin and she blew him a kiss. 


	2. The Family Way

Time Explains Us by Erykah Miszti
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Chapter Two: The Family Way

The nebulous mass of energy's associates decided that it's plan sounded kinda cool…

Xxxxxx

Buffy was awake and staring at the ceiling when the soft knock came at the door. 

"Er… Come in." She called out as she sat up and a petite maid in a black dress with a white apron opened the door. Buffy marveled at the strangeness of the whole situation. 

The maid curtseyed slightly.

"Begging your pardon miss, but the mistress of the house is inquiring whether you're well enough to come down to dinner." 

"Yeah. Sure." Buffy answered. "But I kinda don't have anything to wear." 

The maid frowned as if she was having trouble understanding her but she had the answer. 

"Oh course miss. Some clothes have been arranged for you. I can help you into them if you need me." 

"Thanks." Buffy smiled. 

Xxxxxx

Buffy walked down the main staircase awkwardly, uncomfortable in her newly acquired clothing. The corset was a bitch to breathe in and the form-fitting, pale grey, satin dress reminded her a little too much of the last time she'd put on an outfit like it. Halloween night two years before... or was that 119 years from now? Buffy had checked out the date as inconspicuously as she could. She'd asked the increasingly more puzzled maid. 1880. Too weird.

The house was just surreal. A Victorian fantasy in plush colours and dark wood. Servants pointed her in the direction of the 'salon' and held the door open for her. Buffy entered cautiously; aware that there was probably some etiquette thing she should do here and wondering if she should have done more thinking about her cover story. 

The room was beautiful. Brocade covered furniture, more dark wood and paneling on the walls, shelves of leather-bound books and soft lighting coming from discreet gaslights, as well as the large fire dancing beneath one heck of a mantelpiece. A tall, distinguished looking man in a dark coloured coat stood silhouetted against the fire and he turned as Buffy entered. Two other figures also stood up at that moment and Buffy resisted the urge to back out of the room nervously. An elegant fair-haired woman in an ivory coloured dress was smiling at her and extending her hands in welcome. The other figure was Spike… looking unlike she'd ever seen him before. He looked dashing in a dark green velvet suit but his hair still looked stupid. 

"My dear.." The woman said genuinely in a cultured English accent. "I am so glad that you are recovered. My William here has been telling us all about how you saved his life from a murderous thief." 

"It was nothing really." Buffy muttered, darting a look at him. He was staring at her, his jaw hanging slightly open in shock. 

"I must admit.." The man by the fire began in a deep, resounding voice. "That I never expected my son's rescuer to be such a delicate looking thing." For the first time Buffy noticed the handlebar moustache he had. It seemed that the silly hair thing was a family tradition.

Buffy smiled slyly. "Appearances can be deceiving."

"Might I ask…" William began shyly and Buffy looked at him curiously. Shy? He smiled nervously. "Might I inquire… your name?" 

"Bu.." She began and then remembered herself. "Elizabeth." She smiled at him. "Elizabeth Summers." 

"It's.. er.. it's beautiful.. er.. very fitting.." He looked away, embarrassed, and Buffy resisted the urge to grin. 

Spike.. her Spike.. was a total drip! "What can I tell you, baby? I've always been bad." Heh heh heh. Yeah, so much for the Big Bad! She was gonna tease him SO MUCH when she got home. She didn't even entertain the idea that she might never be going home.

William's mother directed her to a seat and made further enquiry's about her health, her fainting had worried them. 

"I'm fine. Must have just been the shock." She turned to William. "Are you alright?" She asked.

His hand unconsciously went to the bandage at his throat. 

"I am now." He met her eyes directly for the first time since she'd helped him the day before. "Thanks to you." 

Buffy drowned for a moment. Those eyes were so soft, so gentle.. so not like the man - the monster - she knew. There was purity there. Innocence, even. No ice chips. No sneer. The man before the horrors he'd committed had changed him into the creature she knew. Was the demon the difference? There was an enquiry in his eyes. There was also a stirring of desire, which was kinda freaky because that did remind her of Spike. The longer she looked the clearer the hunger became and the more Spike-like those eyes seemed. Yeah, for all the purity.. there was passion too. 

"You're an American?" His father interrupted the moment as he handed her a glass of sherry. 

The look was broken and they both jumped as if stung. 

"Er.. yeah." Buffy answered his father. The accent, of course. There was no way she could fake an English one, so she hadn't bothered trying. "California." She had regained her composure now. 

"Is it as hot there as they say?" The mother was asking now, making polite conversation. That English thing about talking about the weather. Buffy smiled at her.

"And then some." She replied and watched them all frown. "I mean, yes it can be very hot." 

"Is it terribly exciting on the frontier?" William asked her with a strangely childish enthusiasm. 

"It is in my town." She smiled at him indulgently. 

"I must visit there someday." He smiled back, gaining confidence.

"You will." She told him and turned his smile into a frown, at which she laughed. "My father made his fortune in the first gold rush." She continued, praying that her knowledge of history was enough to bluff that if asked. "I was born there." 

"And, may I ask, why you are in England, my dear..?" William's mother asked with a smile. "Naturally I am very happy that you are, no matter the reason." 

"Visiting relatives." Buffy replied. "Down.. er… down south.. er.. Cornwall." She looked at William conspiratorially. "That is south of here, right?" 

"Yes, yes it is." He was watching her in amusement, as if he was fascinated by her.

"And you are travelling alone?" The father asked, his disapproval was obvious. 

"Er.. no." Buffy hadn't thought up a cover for this bit yet. "Um.. those thieves!" She improvised. "The one that attacked… er.. your son! They killed my travelling companions. I escaped from them, just barely, and then they started on your son and I knew I just had to stop them before they.. er.. killed him too."

It was a hurried speech and perhaps it didn't make a lot of sense but the Castlemaine's seemed content enough to believe it. 

"Do you have anywhere to stay in London?" William's mother asked her, concern apparent. 

"My companion's had instructions but I lost the papers in the struggle." Buffy bluffed. "So.. no, not really."

"Then you must stay here.." William's father almost smiled as he said it. It was the closest she'd seen him come to a smile since she'd been here. His moustache wiggled and Buffy resisted the urge to laugh. 

"Yes.." William cut in. "And perhaps we could arrange transportation for Miss Summers down to her relatives safe care in Somerset." He smiled. "I.. er.. could accompany you.. if you'd like." 

Buffy opened her mouth to talk but his father cut in first.

"Are you trying to scare the girl, William? Any trouble on the road and exactly what kind of help would you be! The chit'd probably wind up having to save you again!" He laughed.

Buffy watched William hang his head in embarrassment and she actually felt sorry for him. 

"Warren!" William's mother hissed and Buffy's turned sharply in her direction to find her looking at her husband scornfully. 

Thankfully for everyone the butler walked in at that moment. The tension broke.

"Dinner is served." He told them politely and bowed. 

Buffy relaxed and then a pain seized her guts again. A very familiar pain. Her spider sense had just gone into overdrive. William jumped to her side as he saw the pain cross her face. 

A dark figure stepped up behind the butler. 

"Much obliged ta hear it." The words were spoken in a flaky Irish brogue. 

"Angelus." Buffy murmured as she watched the Butler's neck get snapped to the side and the long haired monster sink it's fangs into his neck. 

She looked up at William to find that he was staring at her not the bloody scene in front of them. 

"Run!" She told him. "They've come for you." She kissed him on the check, surprising him and herself, then she gestured at his family. "Take them out of here.. NOW."

From the corner of her eye she saw the trio of vampires stride into the room. 

"Go now. I'll try and stall them while you escape."

He met her eyes for a moment that seemed to stretch for a very long time. 

"Who are you?" He demanded in awe. 

"Go!" She hissed. 

William finally got the message and ran in the direction of his parents. He bundled them, protesting, through a previously concealed door in the wall. 

Buffy turned to face Angelus for the first time in no where near long enough.


	3. The Learning Curve

Time Explains Us by Erykah Miszti

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Chapter Three: The Learning Curve

The nebulous mass of energy and its associates took a jump to the left, then a step to the right and did the Time Warp again.. 

Xxxxxx

"No! No! No!" Dru protested as she watched her prize slip away through the door. 

"Go after them, don't let them leave here alive." Angelus told them, his eyes never leaving Buffy's. "I've a mind ta try out the little Slayer here." 

The look did get to her but there was no way she was going to let him know that. She had the advantage here. She'd fought him before.. and won. 

Darla eyed the pair warily, not liking the obvious chemistry between them perhaps, but she and Dru advanced towards the door after the Castlemaine's. 

Buffy sprang into action, pushing furniture between the vampires and the door to slow them down. Extra seconds were all the family needed to escape. The woman fought to climb over and pass through the tables, chairs and barrage of ornaments Buffy sent flying in their direction. She half hoped that a stray piece of wood might end this decisively but she didn't really want to kill any of them, at least not until she'd found someone to explain to her whether changing history was really a good idea or not. 

Eventually there was very little left to throw and the amused Angelus, who had been staying out of this until now, jumped into the fray. Angelus' slamming Buffy onto the ground gave Dru and Darla the time they needed to get past and go through the door. Buffy re-prioritized on the fly. Now, she needed to get through that door after them. She blazed back against Angelus' attack, not giving him an inch. 

"You know, Angelus, one day you might actually be good at this." Buffy told him snidely as she rained punches on his face. 

"So, ya heard a me then, Slayer?" He grinned as he landed a good one on her. 

"I know what you like to do for fun but let me just say.." She kicked him in the chest, sending him flying across the room. She was panting slightly and had had to lift her skirt to do that. "..that nothing could have prepared me for the bad accent and the worse hair." She stood there and adopted a pose (caught her breath past the corset) while he struggled to get up. "I mean, what is it with this century? Are their no hair stylists at all?!" 

His attack came stronger and more furious this time. 

"I'm kinda disappointed. Where's the infamous Angelus finesse?" Buffy grabbed him and kneed him in the back. "I KNOW you can do better than this." 

He managed to turn it around and sent her flying over his head. Luckily she landed in a chair. Unluckily it was with her skirt tangled around her head and no air left in her lungs. She couldn't breathe in. Buffy fought the oxygen depravation that came on far too rapidly and tried to right herself. She did so just in time to see Angelus bearing down on her, game face in place, fangs ready to bite in the same place that Angel had once bitten before. 

Buffy felt sure it was over. Poetic irony. She goes down to Angelus before she was even really born. 

There was an unexpected thud though and Angelus was thrown away from her and to the side. Buffy looked up to see William standing there with a broken lamp in his hands. He smiled sheepishly. 

"I thought you might need some help." He told her. 

"Your parents?" She asked, still struggling to stand up. 

William held out his hand and pulled her to her feet. They found themselves standing very close together. The air disappeared again from Buffy's lungs as their eyes met. 

"My parents… uh.." He licked his lips. "They're safe… gone." 

"Good.." Buffy replied, unable suddenly to break eye contact. 

Angelus leapt up from the spot where he'd fallen and lunged at them. William was ready, he snapped out of his absorption with Buffy and held out a large crucifix at Angelus. The vampire's skin came into full contact with it and smoke began to rise. He fell away in pain, the image burned onto him through his clothes. 

Buffy stood behind William and the protection of the cross. She clutched his shoulder. 

"Come on, Spike.." She told him, still eyeing Angelus warily. He was glaring at them. "We. Are. Leaving!" 

"I'll get ya, little girl!" Angelus threatened. "You and that.. puppy! He'll be one of us. He'll kill 'n' enjoy it. He'll wipe out little girls like ya fer breakfast, lunch 'n' dinner! By the time I finished with him he'll be a monster!" 

They continued to back away, towards the door. Buffy picked up a fire poker as they passed. They reached the doorway and Buffy threw the poker. It was a great hit, straight through the right shoulder, pinning Angelus to the wall. He screamed in pain. 

"You know what, Peaches?" Buffy said and his eyes blazed as they met hers. "I wouldn't flatter yourself that you could make this one do anything he didn't want to." 

Xxxxxx

"May I inquire.. um.. you called me Spike in there?" William asked as they walked down a street well away from his home. "I may not have been thinking well yesterday but I am sure you called me Spike then as well."

Buffy said nothing, deciding instead to think about how to answer that but he started talking again anyway. 

"No one has called me that since I was a child." William stated.

She turned from her place at his side and stepped in front of him to stop him. 

"Wait." She began, confused. "You were called Spike as a kid?" 

He lowered his head and grinned sheepishly. 

"Yes." He replied. "Very stupid really." He looked up at her but looked away again quickly. "Only, the family made it's money through the railways, and my father once took me to see some track being laid… I've, well, I have always been a bit clumsy.. I was playing with one of the spikes they use to hold the ties in place and.. well, I dropped it. Dratted thing when straight through my foot." 

"So your father called you Spike after that?" Buffy suddenly wanted to punch his father very hard indeed. "To remind you of your clumsiness?!" 

"He didn't mean it unkindly." William rushed to his father's defense. "He felt that discipline, hard work and punishment for stupidity would toughen me up. Make me into a man. How did I let him down so badly? In one night, I find myself spurned by a woman, nearly murdered by another and finally rescued yet another. You SHOULD call me Spike and maybe from your sweet lips the name will toughen me up, just like my father has always wanted." 

He hung his head again. 

"William…" Buffy smiled and put her hand under his chin, raising it so that he had to look at her. "Your father is an idiot. I just watched you bash a vampire with a table lamp and then face him down with a crucifix. You are a man. A name's just a name. YOU saved ME back there."

She dropped her hand. He reached out immediately and took her hands into his.

"Who are you.. really?" He looked down at her intently. "Those were vampires in there… vampires!! The cross, it burnt him…"

"Yeah, they were vampires." She said softly, looking down at their joined hands. She held on tighter. 

"Why are they after me? My family?" He demanded hoarsely. "You are here protecting us, are you not? Why?" 

"I wish I knew." When Buffy looked up there was a glimmer of tears in her eyes. "You're in very great danger and I'm gonna try my best to protect you from them. Because it's the right thing to do."

"Why me?" Their eyes met. His were tortured and the blue was a living sea of waves and ripples. Hers were pained, confused as his were, no less an ocean of doubt. 

"I don't know." She replied as a whisper, then she was suddenly angry. "It's just what I do, okay?! I help people. You need help, so I'm helping you. There's nothing more to it." 

She broke out of the grip of his hands and started striding down the street away from him. 


	4. The Truth Bubble

Time Explains Us by Erykah Miszti

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Chapter Four: The Truth Bubble

The nebulous masses of energy decided to make a real party out of it and invited everyone to come along…

Xxxxxx

Margaret Castlemaine looked up from packing her case. Her face was a perfect picture of horror. Her husband placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. 

"I'm worried for him." Margaret said flatly with tears in her eyes. "That girl…" 

"We can worry about William later." Warren Castlemaine replied firmly. "He's safe while he isn't near the house and I don't think the girl is so stupid as to return there."

Margaret searched his face for a prolonged moment.

"So why are WE going back?" She demanded, her voice laced with concern and dread. 

Warren kissed her lips gently and stroked her hair back from her face with tender hands, then his features hardened and his milky blue eyes turned to ice. 

"Because no bloody vampires are going to intimidate Warren Castlemaine out of his own home." 

Xxxxxx

"The landscape was divine; moonlight streamed across the valley, caressing it's curves and dips like a tender lover. Myself and my companion - a female friend of my acquaintance - rode at reckless speed through the trees. We came to a halt some way away, so as not to disturb proceedings. We were there to watch this time, not to interfere. Within the grove the ceremony was already underway. The magi danced wildly with a majestic grace that spoke of a past long forgotten… when magic ruled the world. They were breathtaking, spellbinding, every other word you can imagine and many more which would require invention to specifically describe the scene which unfolded before our eyes. Torches flickered around the clearing's edge and the primal drumbeat echoed the sound of our hearts. It was possible to feel the powerful charge which stole over the glade as the spell achieved full potency. Their fires became towers of purple flame reaching towards the heavens. The eyes of these powerful magicians glowed green and lightening danced around their feet. Then the spell broke… the fires shifted and the foliage beyond the clearing was thrust aside by rough hands. The sight of them was horrifying. Clarash Demons, many score of them. Horned and clad in great layered plates of blood streaked armour. The tanned hides of human children, so they say. They swept aside the magicians like matchwood, not giving them time to think or to call upon their magic for protection. Their death screams sliced the air like knives. Death and worse; torture, rape.. the scent of blood was all around upon the night air. We fled from that place. There was nothing we could do besides pray the demons had not caught our scent and would not follow us. That they would not find us and murder us too. String us up, allowing our entrails to drip to the ground like rotten fruit…" 

"Uncle!" William cut in with a snort of pure disgust. "Why must your stories always end in such a violent and disgusting manner? I am quite overcome that you would enter into such graphic details with a lady present." 

"I was liking the story." Buffy smiled as she reclined on the easy chair across from the fire and watched both men in amusement. She grabbed another chocolate from the silver platter on the table beside her.

"See William.. young Miss Elizabeth enjoyed my tale. It would appear that you are the one who is squeamish." He winked at Buffy and she giggled. 

She was quite liking this guy. 

William looked like he'd been sucking on lemons but Buffy was enjoying that a lot too. He looked so prissy as he tried to pretend that he hadn't been enjoying the story. Buffy knew different though. She'd seen the light in his eyes as Uncle Morty - Mortimer Xavier Castlemaine - had spoken of magic and adventure. 

"I am not squeamish, Uncle, merely disgusted by the thought of such bloodshed as you dream up for your tales. Why can you not use your storytelling gift to speak of beauty and love?" 

Buffy kept out of it. So far they'd had this same argument many times during the few hours since they'd arrived at Mortimer's elegant house. Mortimer had eagerly taken them in and his love for his nephew was obvious. Buffy had also got a sght of William's hero worship of his, definitely eccentric, uncle. The storytelling had been at William's request in the first place. 

"You still do not understand, my boy." Mortimer clasped his nephew's shoulder. "The beauty and the love are present in the passion, the fire, and yes, even in the horror of it. There is beauty in life and in death, William. Passions are the key, my boy, passions! They shouldn't be bottled up and left to fester." 

Buffy sucked on the chocolate and regarded Mortimer steadily. He was a weird one. For one thing he'd turned out to be much younger than she'd expected, although still pretty old, 40-ish, she guessed. A confirmed bachelor, who still seemed to have an eye for the ladies. Every one of his stories seemed to involve "a lady friend of my acquaintance". And he most definitely looked like an older version of his nephew. Same cheekbones, same eyes.. better hair.

After dinner, he'd led them into his study, which was a much smaller room, lined with books and smelling comfortably of cigars and old leather. A roaring fire was the main light in the room, although several small lamps were clustered around the walls. Their flames were turned low, giving the room an intimate feeling. 

William had protested at first to them coming in here. He did not feel it was appropriate for Buffy to sit there with them. She had been ready to hit him around then. He had mumbled something about the impropriety of it, which had only made his uncle laugh harder and chide him for having no sense of fun and for always living by the rules. Mortimer had turned to Buffy and asked her if she always lived by society's rules. Her answer had been a mischievous grin that Mortimer had returned. William was overruled and they settled themselves in the leather chairs by the fire with chocolates and sherry. Buffy hadn't had sherry before, so it went pleasantly to her head. It was nice to not have to think for a while. She decided that they were safe for the moment and that she'd start thinking again tomorrow. For now, she listened to Morty's stories and laughed at the weirdness of her Spike behaving very un-Spike-like. 

At first Mortimer had seemed a lot like Giles, stuffy and always preoccupied with something, like he was always lost in thought. But having listened to his stories she was no longer sure what he was. William seemed convinced that they were just make believe but they had a ring of truth about them which would make this man part Giles, part Jules Verne and part Indiana Jones.

William had fallen quiet after Mortimer's last statement about life, death and passions. His head had dropped a few inches and Buffy realised sadly that the fun, forgetful time was probably over. It was time for business. Mortimer cut to the chase. 

"I haven't yet asked you William what you were doing on my doorstep at so late an hour.." He looked towards Buffy. "Nor Miss Elizabeth have I questioned your unchaperoned arrival with my nephew. Whilst you are obviously an American, you do not have the bearings of, say, a streetwalker or a lady of the night…" 

William's head snapped up. 

"Uncle, how dare you speak to a lady in such a manner!" 

Mortimer smiled indulgently. 

"William, my dear boy, I am not altogether sure just what you have brought to my door, but this young woman is no lady. Hush now!" He cut off the indignant remark William had started making. "So, young Miss Elizabeth.. just what are you?" 

Buffy smiled nervously, unsure how to answer. Her eyes wandered around the room and one book practically jumped off the shelf at her. '_A Treatise on the Mythology and Methodology of the Vampire Slayer'_ Buffy frowned. Uncle Mortimer definitely knew a lot more about the world than he was giving away. Time for a half-truth. She closed her eyes.

William staring at her was the first thing she saw when she opened them again.

"My family was murdered by a clan of vampires." She said softly, looking directly at him and hating the lie. She turned to look at Mortimer instead. "I swore revenge. I followed them here and found one attacking your nephew. Luckily I was able to chase her away but now they're after both of us. They attacked your brother's house tonight. We had no choice.. we ran." 

Mortimer watched her steadily and if he saw through her half-lies then he gave no sign. He looked at his hands for a moment before returning to look at her. 

"Do you know the name of the Master vampire, the leader of the clan?" He asked thoughtfully and Buffy almost smiled. He just might know enough to help her. 

"They call him the Scourge of Europe." She replied. 

"Angelus?!" He gasped in genuine horror and turned to his nephew. "William, where are your parents..?"

William was watching both of them warily and with building fear. 

"They have gone to Yorkshire." He replied slowly, deliberately. "Uncle, your stories…"

"Now is no time for stories, William. If Angelus is hunting you then you.. we, all of us.. are in the greatest of danger." He looked into the fire for a moment. "At first light we must get you both out of London. If your parents are already enroute for the north then they may be safe. I shall join them presently, since it is possible Angelus will discover our family connection."

"We've put you in danger by coming here.." Buffy realised. 

"No, my dear, I would have been in danger anyway as soon as…" He stopped and looked his nephew as he made a strange choking sound. 

Buffy followed his gaze. William was sitting with his head in his hands, rocking backwards and forwards. She went to him immediately.

"William, what's wrong?" She asked softly. 

"This is real." He said without looking up. 

Buffy sent a concerned and questioning look over her shoulder towards Mortimer. He was watching the pair of them with a frown on his face. Buffy turned back to the distressed man by her side. 

"Come on.." She tried for a smile. "You took the news about vampires so well before.." She lightly punched his shoulder. "You even had that cross.."

He looked up at her and she could see the frightened look in his eyes. 

"I.. I... I acted without thinking. Uncle Morty once told me a story about vampires and I.. I did not really believe you when you said they were vampires. You were so strange.. I was humouring you." 

Buffy felt surprisingly hurt and then remembered the pack of lies she'd told him so far and kicked her own pained feelings out the door.

"William.." Mortimer came closer and touched William's arm to form a connection between them. "You need to believe this. Not all of my stories are fabrications as I have led you to believe. Some are truthful." He sighed and brushed back a curl which had strayed onto his nephews forehead. They stared at each other; one afraid and one calm. "I need you to be strong now, my boy, stronger than you imagine you can be. This creature which is chasing you. It is very dangerous."

"I.. I'm afraid." He said, his voice cracking, and his uncle instantly pulled the young man into his arms. 

Buffy's heart broke with the words and at the sight before her eyes. She made her decision. To use words Spike would have been happy with.. bugger the future! She just couldn't let this man die. She couldn't sacrifice him. 

"Mister Castlemaine.." She began, taking a chance. "I need to speak to the Watcher's Council." 

Mortimer's head came up with a start. He stayed cradling his crying nephew but he now focused on Buffy. 

"I've no time for games or let's pretend you don't what I'm talking about." She told him firmly. "I need information and they're my only hope for getting it." 

The silence stretched as she stood firm under his inquiring gaze.

"I should be able to arrange that." He said at last. 

Xxxxxx

Margaret and Warren Castlemaine crossed over the threshold into their home. The servants had either run away or had been murdered. The house was now silent, dark and empty.

"Warren?" Margaret began. "Do you believe that girl was…? Might have been..?"

"The Slayer?" He finished for her and nodded. 

"But why is she protecting our William?" 

"Why should she be any different from the rest of us? We have all had to protect the poetry spouting fool since the day he could walk!"

"Warren! He's your son. How can you speak of him so?" She chastised harshly.

"How can you defend him when you know how foolish he is?" Warren replied just as harshly.

Margaret could not bare it when her husband described their son in such a fashion. She loved her child and she knew Warren did too, but he could not seem to bring himself to think well of the boy. 

The couple stopped in the hallway and began unpacking the objects required for the de-invitation spell.

"She was most likely sent by the Watchers." Margaret mused. 

"Hah! Why? To recruit him?! I hardly think so!" His cruel words echoed eerily in the darkness beyond their small candles.

"William would have made an excellent Watcher had you not intervened…" Margaret defended.

"I did it to protect him, Margaret. The Council may be predominantly sedentary but William is not cut out for a world of monsters and demons." His tone was softer now, more truthful. He did love his boy.

"I think you underestimate your son." Margaret remarked and her husband frowned, slumping his shoulders slightly before resetting them just as firmly as before.

"No Margaret. The boy is far too delicate." 

"I agree." A voice said from behind them.

The pair gasped and turned in shock towards the voice to find Angelus standing on the stairs above them leaning casually on the newel post. His features wore their vampire mask.

"An' ta be sure, I'm looking forward ta tastin' that delicate wee morsel." He grinned.

The humans both made to run for the front door but their way was blocked by two female vampires; Darla and Drusilla. They backed away, drawing closer to each other and clasping hands tightly. 

"But tha's fer later." Angelus continued. "Let's start with you…"


	5. Time Me

Time Explains Us by Erykah Miszti

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Chapter Five: Time Me

The nebulous masses of energy didn't like to leave anything to chance..

Xxxxxx

Buffy sat alone in the study watching the logs pop and spark on the fire. A sound behind her alerted her and she turned to see Mortimer walk in through the door, closing it softly again behind him. 

"How is he?" Buffy asked, no other thought in her head.

Mortimer sighed and raked a hand through his light brown hair, disheveling it wildly. 

"I gave him a sleeping draught." He replied. "So at least one of us will get a good nights sleep." 

He crossed to the chair opposite her and sat down, immediately pinning her with a direct look. 

"Are you ready tell me the truth now, Miss Elizabeth?" 

"Now wait a second here! I want some answers first." Buffy shot back as she sat forward to look at him just as directly. "You tell wild stories about demons. You've got all the right books. You know who the Watcher's Council are. You recognised Angelus by his freaky nickname. Who are YOU?" She paused. "Are you a Watcher?" 

He sighed again and slumped back into the dark leather chair.

"Yes." He said simply. 

Buffy inhaled sharply. 

"And William doesn't know that?" Her mind was whirling madly on the possibilities.

"No, he does not." Mortimer answered her. "My brother - William's father - did not want William to be involved with the Council. He felt that his son was too 'delicate' to survive in the real world of demons and horrors." 

"But you don't agree?" Buffy caught on quick and Mortimer smiled at her.

"No, I do not as it happens. William's a bright boy. Much tougher than his father gives him credit for." He laughed bitterly. "It never occurred to Warren that William is a poet in a world full of barbarians. He's a dreamer but that is no crime. He has survived the jibes and insults of his peers for many years now. I am extraordinarily proud of my nephew, actually. He's almost too good for to be a Watcher."

"Too good?" Buffy frowned.

"He believes in beauty and life." Mortimer explained. "While the Council sees only darkness, horror and death." He paused. "Who are you really? Why is any of this your affair?" 

Buffy took a deep breath and told him.

"I'm the Slayer." She said softly. 

"Impossible." Mortimer stated with a grin. "I've met the Slayer. She's most certainly NOT a brash American." 

"Hey! Watch with the brash!" Buffy replied indignantly but then sobered. "You're right." She swallowed the lump in her throat and adopted the most composed and serious expression she could muster. "I'm from the future." Buffy winced at exactly how stupid that sounded.

Mortimer opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. Confusion and suspicion raced across his face before he schooled it away. 

"Pray continue." He said when she didn't say any more. 

"You believe me?!" She exclaimed with a disbelieving look.

"Miss Elizabeth, if that is your name.."

"I prefer Buffy." She cut in.

"Miss Buffy, I have seen too many strange occurrences in my life to dismiss your statement without hearing your story." He smiled. "I enjoy stories and, if nothing else, I have a feeling that yours may be well worth hearing." 

She frowned a lot more but then shrugged.

"Okay then." She paused, trying to think where to start. "There was this Hellgod." 

She looked at him to see what he made of that but his face was curiously blank so she carried on. 

"She was trapped in our dimension and wanted to get back home to her own. For that she needed the Key. Some monks sent the key to me because I'm the Slayer. They used magicks to change it into something else and they made it out of me." 

Her words faltered as she thought of Dawn but she forced herself to continue.

"I was supposed to stop the Hellgod from opening the gate because it would, like, break down all the gates between dimensions." She paused. "I failed." 

Mortimer's face had gone very pale.

"The Hellgod managed to get the Key and opened her portal. Which was bad." 

"You needed to use up the energy of the Key to close the gate." Mortimer said almost absently, deep in thought. 

"I didn't use the Key." Buffy replied. "But I closed it. At least, I hope I did." She licked her lips. "I jumped into the portal." She scrunched up her face and looked around. "And then poof, here I am.. freaky Victoriana World.. only it's not another dimension, I don't think. It's the past. Really really the past." 

Mortimer jumped to his feet and there was silence for a long time. Buffy nervously twiddled with the stem of her glass. She stared at his turned back. 

"If you hadn't have saved my nephew… would he be dead or would he be a vampire?" Mortimer said at last, without turning around.

Buffy was startled by the question. Not what she'd been expecting at all. She stuttered and he spun back to face her. 

"How far into the future was this?" He changed tack again.

"The year? 2001." Buffy replied. 

"2001?!" He exclaimed and laughed out loud. 

"Er.. are you okay?" Buffy asked in concern. "I didn't think it was a funny story.." 

"No, it's not that.. It's just.." He sobered himself and sat down heavily into his chair. "You didn't answer my question about William. Does he get turned?" 

"He knows nothing about Slayers?" Buffy tried to change the subject.

"He knows nothing about any demons beyond fairytale monsters." The gaze was penetrating. "You know him, don't you, from this future of yours?" 

Buffy stared back for a endless moment. 

"Yes." It was barely a whisper. "He's a vampire." 

Mortimer sank even further into his chair, his face twisting into a mask of pain. He had suspected but had secretly hoped that she would not confirm it.

"No! Not William." He let his head fall back and closed his eyes. "Of all the people.. why him to become a soulless demon?! An evil creature of the night!!" 

Buffy watched horrified as the previously strong-seeming man crumbled in front of her eyes. Plus he was just heading for cheap melodrama now, which was not pretty. 

"Tell me, Miss Buffy.." Mortimer stated without opening his eyes. "Tell me what he will do between now and then.. tell me everything you know.."

Buffy grimaced. He really wanted the truth? Oh well, what did it matter now anyway. He wasn't going to be a vampire.. 

"Um.. well, there's the general killing to feed.. perhaps.. er.. some torture.. and.. er.. He.. um.. sort of.. killed two Slayers.." She stuttered uncomfortably. 

Mortimer sat bolt upright with his eyes wide in horror. 

"Two Slayers?" He gasped. Buffy nodded. 

"And.. er.. tried to kill me a few times…" She continued warily. This all felt very wrong. Bad things to be saying. It seemed disloyal in some strange way.

"Did you slay him?" He demanded hoarsely. "Remove the foul creature polluting my nephew's body from this Earth?"

"Well.. no.. not exactly…" Buffy shifted around and avoided looking at him. "But.." She began. "He's not like that anymore." She offered weakly.

"Miss Buffy, vampire's cannot change.. they are soulless.. evil.." Mortimer insisted even though it obviously hurt - a lot - to say it. 

"I know.." She said, confused and pained. "But Spike.. it's really hard to explain.. he got this thing put into his brain that stops him from hurting humans.. this chip.. um.. a sort of scientific thing that I don't really understand exactly.. but it makes him harmless.. he's good now.. well, he's not really good.. but he promised to protect my sister from the Hellgod and I know he'll do it because.." She tailed off. (because he loves me).

"You trusted him with your sister's life?!!" Mortimer didn't notice her abrupt ending.. he was too horrified. 

"He's.." Buffy paused, then looked Mortimer in the eye. "Yes, I trusted - I trust - him."

Before Mortimer could say any more there was a knock at the door. The older man composed himself and went to the door.. too smart to issue invitations without checking who's there. Buffy didn't know that the room was protected by incantations that separated it from the house. Vampires could be invited into the house and still not access this room without a specific invite. Mortimer had books that he really didn't want vampires to get their hands on. 

Mortimer's hand on the doorknob was shaky. On the threshold stood his valet, Anthony, looking in a terrible state. His eyes were red and his face ashen.

"Master.." The obviously distressed man began. 

Buffy, worried by his tone, stood up to watch him and he looked warily at her, as if he didn't want to say anything with her in the room. 

"It's alright, man. She knows what we do." Mortimer told him reassuringly, with a sickening dread barely concealed in his tone. "Spit it out." 

"Master, it's your brother and his wife." Anthony gulped. "They've been murdered."

"Where were they found?" Buffy demanded hastily. "Somewhere on the road..?" She turned to Mortimer. "Thieves perhaps.. not necessarily Ange.." 

"No, miss." The valet cut in, swallowing hard. "They were found outside their home, here in town." His wary eyes darted back to Mortimer, his pallor whitening even more. "With significant blood lost and unaccounted for.." He choked on the next words. "..and in quite a number of maliciously arranged pieces.." 


	6. Moving Onwards Badly

Time Explains Us by Erykah Miszti

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Chapter Six: Moving Onwards Badly

The nebulous mass of energy was perfectionist at a neutrinal level…

Xxxxxx

Buffy stared out of the window of the train and watched the English countryside speeding past. "Green" and "leafy" were her main opinions on it so far.

Buffy had picked their carriage based on its emptiness. There was only herself and William - and their meagre luggage - in the small and dark but plushly furnished compartment.

Bored, she trained her attention onto William instead. He hadn't said anything beyond monosyllables since Mortimer had told him about his parents. Buffy got the feeling that they had been a close family.. in that really English kinda way. He was currently staring out the window too but he didn't look like he was noticing either the greenness or the leafiness.

He didn't look up for talking about it. Not that she blamed him. The only person she'd been able to talk to about her mother dying had been Spike… she stopped that little train of thought right there. This was all too weird. The guy in front of her and Spike seemed worlds apart… except for that one moment after he'd bashed Angelus with the lamp… and when he'd looked at her afterwards… but that was back to the top of the "things to not think about" list again.

Angelus and the girls had definitely had their version of fun with William's parents. The 'pieces' they'd left had barely been identifiable and were certainly geared towards Angelus' usual "drive them nuts" style of stalking his victims. She knew exactly how it felt to be on the receiving end of that. It had nearly broken her, not that she'd admit that to many people… or any really…or even think about it really…except now. She was thinking about it too much now. Last night sleep had been a real no-no.

She'd sat up with Mortimer discussing what they planned to do… hence the train.

In a way she was slightly grateful for William's almost catatonic state… it meant that he'd just followed her onto the train without asking where they were going. It felt like another one of those huge responsibilities though… he'd happily placed his life in her hands. Hers. A complete stranger. But then that was part of what being the Slayer was about.

Buffy sighed. That was one of the things she did like about Spike… she didn't have to rescue him all the time. And NO… she wasn't thinking about this either.

The train was bound for Nottingham. They'd discussed going to York first but Buffy had vetoed that idea. The small family estate would be the first place Angelus would look. Mortimer had sent word to York, to William's younger sister… not telling her that her parents were dead but telling her to get packed and leave the house as soon as possible. Mortimer would head north to collect her and take him to the home of, yet another, "female friend" of his. There was no traceable connection between him and this woman, so Angelus would not be able to find her. He'd also break the news to her personally.

They would meet up at the "secret location" where the Watcher's Council had their library and records stores. It was somewhere in Nottinghamshire… a coach would be waiting for them at the train station… and there was a plan for contacting the Council should anything happen in the meantime.

Almost as if on cue, something happened in the meantime.

A knocked sounded on the door and Buffy looked up warily. William didn't move, not even when the door opened.

"Sorry." Buffy began apologetically. "We're full in here." It was a bit of lie actually.

"That's alright." The large, green and horned demon said. "We're not staying…just collecting." More of his kind appeared behind him.

With the definite lack of space in the compartment, their brute strength won out over Buffy's fighting and both her and William were unceremoniously dragged out. William finally woke from his stupor in time to fight back a little but it was no use.

The train carriages they were man (demon?) handled through were all empty… in fact, Buffy realised, the whole damn train was empty. That might have been the bumping. Earlier there had been bumping. Buffy didn't really know anything about steam trains and had assumed that was normal but, with hindsight, that might have been their carriage being uncoupled and re-attached to a different train. Buffy would have kicked herself for her stupidity if the demons hadn't been holding her so tightly.

The carriage they were finally pushed into seemed to be a dining car but with most of the tables removed. At the last remaining one sat Angelus, Darla and Dru. The windows were all heavy curtained to block out the daylight.

Dru clapped with delight as she saw William, while Darla and Angelus smirked at Buffy.

"Oh look." Buffy commented wryly. "It's a party."

"Ssshh." Drusilla told her and cupped a hand to her ear. "The flies are buzzing out a sad song… the kittens are dead but the rats are drunk on blood. We must all be quiet, or we'll break their bones but we wont make bread." She smiled sadly.

"Oh please." Buffy commented. "Just kill us. Don't make us listen to this…"

Dru cackled.

"Can't kill you." She grinned nastily. "You're already dead."

"No." Buffy stated flatly. "I think you're confusing me with you."

"Oh, we can kill her Dru." Angelus smirked. "We can kill them both."

"Well Dru…" Darla said impatiently. "Go get your man… or whatever he is." She gave William a cursory glance over…obviously not impressed. She stroked Angelus' arm possessively while Angelus all but drooled over Buffy.

Dru oozed out of her seat and went over to William. He cowered away from her touch in revulsion.

"Leave him alone…" Buffy stated and tried to break free of the grip the demons had on her. They just held on tighter.

"You wont get away from them." Darla laughed. "They're Ouzelum demons… they're not afraid of anything and more than used to dealing with unruly travelers. Centuries of experience."

Buffy looked on helplessly as Dru continued to stroke Williams face, letting her hands slide down to his neck and over his chest… then drip dramatically lower. Buffy struggled harder. For some reason the sight of Dru with her hands on him was really irritating her. He was trying to struggle too but his eyes were locked to hers and his struggles were getting less and less.

Angelus strode over to Buffy, grabbing her chin and dragging her gaze to his.

"Forgot about helping him." He told her coldly. "Your only choice is do you want to die… or do you want to join him and come with us?"

"Angelus." Darla said menacingly. "We don't need anymore… companions. She's just dinner."

She came up to him and reached her arms around his waist. Buffy did NOT want to know what she was doing with her hands… the expression on Angelus' face said more than enough about it.

"Jealous, lover?" Angelus asked of Darla as he let go of Buffy and turned in her arms.

Darla reached one hand up and scratched his face, then licked off the blood. Buffy turned away even more disgusted as the pair started kissing passionately. Unfortunately that meant she was looking at Dru and William… who were also kissing. He wasn't being held by the demons anymore… he was very into kissing her back… really not looking like he was complaining about the situation at all. And that really did piss Buffy off.

"William!" She called out and struggled again.

She realised then that the hold of the demons had grown looser... they were watching the kissing couples. Must have been getting them hot, because they did seem distracted. Buffy grabbed the chance and used her strength and their hold to swing her legs up and kick the two on each side of her in the face. A few well aimed punches and the demons were no longer hot for the kissing but all out fighting one little girl for their skins.

Buffy raced over and dragged Dru off William, shoving her off into the farthest corner of the carriage. William collapsed into a heap on the floor but Buffy had no time to check he was okay as Angelus and Darla came at her together. Her dress was looser than it had been for her last fight with them, so she was actually able to breathe but her kicks were still seriously hampered by the lack of give in the fabric. She took a moment to rip it before she charged into the fray, getting in a kick to Angelus' ribs that sent him curling up in pain, before she spun around to punch Darla. The demons had recovered by now, so they re-entered the fight... giving Buffy lousy odds of one on seven… three of those being vamps that she probably couldn't get away with dusting, no matter how much she really wanted to. That messing up history thing was really working against her.

Flight seemed like a better plan but William didn't seem capable of movement. As Buffy whirled and punched and kicked her attackers, she could see him watching her in awe but not moving to do anything. He looked stunned by the whole thing.

"William!" She yelled at him and he started with a gasp.

Dru noticed him trying to stand and pulled out of the fight to go to him. Buffy saw this but there was nothing she could do. He'd just have to sink or swim on his own for the moment. She kicked Angelus into the wall, knocked the demons heads together and pulled out a chunk of Darla's hair... setting the vampire screaming and clawing at her.

From the corner of her eye, Buffy could see William fighting to fight off Drusilla... he was avoiding her eyes but she kept talking and, although she couldn't hear Dru's low whispers, Buffy could see William weakening.

Buffy couldn't take any more... she grabbed for one of the curtains and gave it a hefty pull... daylight flooded into the carriage and the vampires drew back in horror and pain... slamming into the demons in their flight from the sunlight. Buffy turned, barreled into William and ran for the door. He all but collapsed into her arms and she half dragged him out, slamming and locking the door behind them. It was a flimsy lock though and the demons were already about to break through.

Buffy ran behind William down the narrowing corridors, giving him a shove any time he looked the stopping. The train was indeed empty and not very long. After only a few minutes they slammed through a door only to find themselves standing on a narrow platform at the very end of the speeding train.

"No more train." William pointed out uselessly as Buffy closed the door and looked for some way to bar it. There was nothing. William was panting heavily and clinging to the rail as if he could barely stand.

The demons arrived on the other side of the door and began hammering on it.

"This wont hold." Buffy gasped, keeping pressure on the door.

William looked down over the rail at the tracks, then at the countryside beyond them.

"Only one option then." He told her, turning to look her in the eyes. "We jump."

"Off the train?" She asked wide-eyed. "YOU'RE suggesting we jump off the moving train?!"

"Alright, how about we stay and die instead..." He replied snarkily.

"I know." Buffy said as if coming to a great revelation. "Let's jump."

William rolled his eyes.

"On three?" She suggested.

She let go of the door and they readied themselves on the edge.

"You first." He told her, gripping onto her waist instinctively.

"What about you?" She asked, turning slightly to meet his eyes.

"I'll be right behind you." He told her seriously, clasping her hand in his. She gripped it tightly momentarily

"You better be." She threatened, turned and jumped... rolling as she hit the ground.

The door behind William began to buckle. He glanced behind him in a panic, then looked back towards Buffy where had landed.

"Bloody hell!!!" He yelled as he jumped off the train.


	7. It’s Almost Like

Time Explains Us by Erykah Miszti

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Chapter Seven: It's Almost Like 

The nebulous masses of energy were comin' up, so the party was getting started…. 

Xxxxxx

Buffy groaned and lifted herself off the ground. Even with Slayer powers hitting the ground after jumping off a moving train was still damn painful. 

As the immediate jolts of pain wore off she remembered William and began to look around for him. He was nowhere in sight and panic rose in her throat. What if he didn't make it off the train? What if he didn't survive the jump? What if he was lying somewhere in pain? 

"Okay, Buffy." She told herself out loud. "Calm down. He'll have made it." 

A sudden burst of laughter cut through her pep talk. She followed the sound. 

The first she saw of him was a vague shape lying in the long grass by the trackside. He was on his back... and laughing.

"William!" She exclaimed and ran over, dropping to her knees as she reached him. "Are you okay?" 

William lay there with his head back and his eyes closed, laughing like a mad man. Buffy's frown grew deeper. Great, huge laughs racked his body as he lay there.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She demanded desperately, touching his shoulder to get his attention.

He opened his eyes and looked up at her, a huge grin lighting up his face and making him look very young. Another laugh bubbled up from him. 

"Did that really happen?" He asked her, moving onto his side and resting on his elbow to face her. "The vampires and the demons…" Another laugh. "Jumping off a train!" He dropped onto his back again, laughing wildly. 

"Yep." Buffy replied with a trace of a smile despite herself. "That REALLY did happen." His laughter was infectious. 

He exhaled deeply to steady himself but was unable to hold back as he started laughing again. Buffy's smile grew wider as she watched him. He was adorable when he laughed. She'd never seen Spike laugh like this… she stopped that thought dead in its tracks, her good humour died with it.

William raised himself onto his elbow and looked at her again. He met her eyes and Buffy couldn't look away. His eyes burned with intensity, wild with delight and something that made a shiver of fear crawl along her spine.

"I've never done anything like that before..." He stated incredulously.

"Welcome to my world." Buffy replied sadly. 

"No," He cut in, his voice showing his amazement. "That was... the way..." He struggled with his words, obviously fighting to steady himself. "I've always deplored violence as vile and vulgar... but that... you..." He took her hand and looked deeply into her eyes. Buffy was transfixed. "You were poetry… without a single word... and yet an infinite wealth of... of... it was almost like... almost like…"

He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a moment and then opening them wide. Fire and lights burnt in the blue depths and she was sure she could see all the way to his soul in that moment. Her breath caught in her throat. 

"It was almost like dancing." He breathed.

Buffy's world crashed down on her. Then he pounced, grabbed her shoulders, moving even closer till he was only a hairs breadth away from her face. "Teach me." He demanded softly. "I want to dance like that." His pause was an eternity. "Please, teach me to dance." He whispered. 

For a long time, or it could have been seconds, they were the only two people in the world. Then his words sank into Buffy's consciousness. For a split second she was almost tempted but something in his eyes stopped her

"No!" She exclaimed and backed up as fast as could. She scrambled to her feet and turned her back on him. "No. Absolutely not!" 

She heard him scramble to his feet behind her. 

"Why not?! I could help you fight these horrors." The wonder and delight were still there in his voice. 

Buffy spun to face him. 

"No." She stated but hard expression softened as she saw his crestfallen look. "William," She began, reaching out to touch his arm to make sure she had his attention. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and cut him off just as he looked about to say something more. "It's not a thing of beauty. You were right first time. Violence IS disgusting and evil. There's nothing wonderful in it, William. It's death and emptiness… it's not passion." She touched his face tenderly. "I don't do it through choice. I do it because I have to… because there's nothing else for me to do. But you… you have a choice."

"What if Angelus takes my choice away?" He stunned her by asking. "If you can't beat him and I cannot fight him… will I then still have a choice? Or will I be like them…? A monster?" 

"That's not going to happen." _Not this time_, she added under her breath. "We're going to stay away from him."

"If we were to take the fight to him next time… confront him, fight together, we could…" She could see the delight in his eyes at the thought of a fight.

"No!" She exclaimed instinctively, then realised she'd said it too harshly. "No." She said again softly. "We are not going to fight Angelus... or Drusilla or Darla." 

"We're going to keep running away?" His shoulders slumped. "What happens when he catches up with us? You said yourself that he'll follow us to the ends of the Earth…"

"We aren't going to fight him again." She insisted, unwilling and unable to explain to him what today had brought home to her, what she now understood without a doubt. If she fought Angelus again she'd have to kill him to protect William. She couldn't risk William's innocent life and yet she couldn't kill Angelus… that it would be killing Angel too. She couldn't kill Angel again… not even for William. She loved him. The future was a better place with Angel in it. 

Buffy hardened her heart and her expression. 

"This conversation is over."

She forced herself to look away, to look along the railway tracks in both directions… anywhere but at him. There was nothing for miles in either direction. Beyond the tracks were lush green fields stretching to the horizon.

"Now, we have to get out of here before they back up that train and come for us. It looks like we have some serious walking to do." 

With that she started off for the fence that marked the division between the railway and the field. William stayed where he was for a long moment, watching he go. He sighed and followed her. 

Xxxxxx

The minutes turned into hours and the morning turned into a warm and sunny afternoon. Buffy and William walked in silence across the seemingly endless fields. They were never more than a metre apart but they didn't say a word to each other. They were lost in their own thoughts.

William thought about his parents and the surreal idea that he would never be seeing them ever again. That was as strange a thought as the sun not rising in the morning. He pushed it aside for the moment. He would grieve later. For now, he needed to get to his sister to make sure that she was alright. 

His thoughts drifted off to the girl walking beside him. She was very strange. There was something about her that didn't make sense. Perhaps it was her mannerisms, the odd way she had of speaking. He had put these things down to her being American, a native of the Wild West. Undoubtedly life on the Frontier would make a person tougher, or so he assumed. He'd never even been out of England before. But he read a lot. Sadly, his entire knowledge of the American Frontier came from the penny dreadfuls, which he would never admit out loud to having read at all. He wanted to ask Miss Buffy about her life in America. Ask if it was as full of adventure as it seemed. If the past few days in her company were anything to go by, he suspected that her life is very exciting indeed. 

Watching her fight those demons had had a profound affect on him. In his mind, he could see her spinning and twirling, her movements spare and yet devastating to their enemies. She was like a force of nature and when she hauled the curtain open and allowed the light into the carriage it had seemed to set her hair aflame. It had transformed her into a golden goddess of purity before his eyes. She had shimmered with power and brilliance. She was truly effulgent. How could he had been fooled by Cecily's minor beauty and apparent brilliance. He had not seen true brilliance until he had beheld Miss Buffy's glow. 

It was all having a very odd effect on his brain... and other parts. He wanted her, which in itself was a strange experience for him. He had liked young ladies before. He had fantasised about kissing and caressing young ladies, removing their clothes and touching parts of them that they did not allow the world to see. He'd felt the quickening in his blood and the embarrassing hardening of his flesh when they were in room. This was different though. The blaze of poetic passion that he thought he'd felt before was nothing to sensations this woman inspired in him. It was an inferno. He wanted to be enveloped by her so completely that he would cease to exist as a separate entity. He wanted to be one with this magnificent creature. He wanted to absorb her into himself. He wanted to be effulgent too. 

And yet..

A thought stole into his mind as if from nowhere and he absently touched the bandage on his throat, tracing the wounds beneath. He was pulled back to the train carriage and a mist descended on him. Drusilla. That was her name. Ripe and wicked… like a sweet, rich plum. She called to him too. She was like the darkness itself. Enveloping him, moving with honeyed purpose through the pathways of his brain. Here in the darkness was a brilliant light. She shone with power, not the same power that Buffy embodied, no, this was something else altogether. His heartbeat was loud in his chest. He could feel his blood pumping. The bright day shrank away from him. He could feel her lips on his, tempting him. Power. Strength. She too was effulgent. She had held up a puzzle piece before his eyes. A piece that he knew instinctively could complete him. He just had to reach out and take it. 

"You walk in worlds the others can't even imagine." She'd told him. "Do you want it?"

Yes, she had looked deep inside him and seen his soul. She knew him. He wanted her. He wanted to wrap himself in her dark warmth. Find that glistening heart. Taste the power she was offering. 

No. 

He stopped himself, not realising that he had also stopped walking. 

She was a vampire. She was an evil creature. Hers was a false promise. He'd have to die to get that power. That wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't. He wanted the pure, clean power that Buffy had. She was truth and light. He wanted a sunshine princess, not a dark goddess. Buffy was goodness personified. She was on a mission of good and right. He wanted to be good and right too. 

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked, snapping him out of his inner battle. "Is it your parents?" She continued softly.

"Yes." He replied. It was surprisingly easy to lie but he hated doing it. "They died because I'm weak and couldn't protect them."

"No." Buffy stated flatly. "That's not why they died. They died because…" Buffy paused.

She couldn't tell William why they'd really died. Mortimer had told her in-depth of the family's involvement with the Watcher's Council. William's father was a trained sorcerer and his mother was a witch. More than that Warren Castlemaine was a stubborn man who wouldn't have been afraid of vampires on principle. They had probably miscalculated the threat and gone home assuming that they could fight the vampires. They hadn't known who was pitted against them. 

The fault lay with Buffy. She had never mentioned the name Angelus to them. In her favour was the fact that she hadn't known that she could trust them with the truth. It was also her fault that she had saved William from Drusilla. This was a chain reaction. Saving one innocent life had so far cost two lives. She hoped that it would not cost any more.

The fault also lay with Giles, who'd never told her that William the Bloody was from a Watcher's family. In Giles' favour was the fact that he probably did not know. The Watcher's were hardly likely to publicise such a disgrace through the generations. 

Of course, ultimately, the fault lay with Angelus and his bloodlust. Buffy could find nothing in his favour, except that Angel was now serving his penance in the future. It was the worst feeling of all. She knew that she couldn't kill him now because of all the lives that depended on him in the future. It felt as if the deaths now were a tax that was being paid against a future promise of wealth. That was too much of a moral quagmire for her to cope with, so she had to put it aside in her mind. 

"I'm sorry. " She said finally. "I don't know why they died. I don't understand why these things happen." She admitted honestly.

William smiled sadly and nodded slightly in agreement. He didn't understand either. He then did a very odd thing. He reached out and took her hand.

Buffy looked down at her hand clasped in William's. The gesture was strange… comforting. She looked up and met William's eyes. They were so warm, so trusting. Then there was that spark. The fire… the bit that reminded her of Spike… the something that scared her and brought back so many memories. 

She was well aware that Spike was her nemesis. He was the one vampire she'd never been able to beat concisely. She'd never been able to take the final plunge and kill him. She missed those physical battles that had been replaced mostly by verbal ones. He was so much her equal in the "dance". She missed that. 

"You want to learn to fight?" She heard herself say out loud. 

"To fight like you do?" He asked incredulously. "But you said that…"

"I know what I said." She replied. "I didn't want to teach you. Violence isn't a good thing, William, but sometimes, in this world, we all have to fight to save what we believe in. It's only if it consumes you that you're in trouble." She smiled. "I think you can handle it." 

"You trust me?" He asked, frowning. "Why? You hardly know me."

"I think you have potential." She smiled broadly. "Come on… let's get ready to rumble…"

"Excuse me?! Let's get ready to what..?" 

"Fight, William. Fight."


	8. Ripples

Time Explains Us by Erykah Miszti

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Chapter Eight: Ripples

The nebulous masses of energy started fighting amongst themselves…

Xxxxxx

William matched Buffy's moves exactly… and he learnt quickly. Hours passed and the light began to die. They barely noticed. 

Buffy taught him to jab and kick, to attack swiftly and to dance back out of range. She taught him all her moves. As a human, he'd never beat her but he was still fast and light on his feet. He did catch her on the hop a couple of times with moves that were bold and unexpected. At those times, he grinned and she could almost forget that he wasn't really Spike. 

It was the rain that finally stopped them. It started with a few spots but rapidly became a minor deluge. They scurried for the line of trees that marked the field boundary. Some rain made it through the thick branches but mostly they were protected. 

"When did the sun go down?" Buffy asked, panting slightly from the hours of fighting and the sudden exertion of the run. 

William stood bent double with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He looked up at her and grinned that Spike grin again. 

"Possibly around about the hundredth time you dropped me on my rear, Miss Buffy." The cadence in the speech was stuffier but the snark was right there. 

"Well, what do we do now?" Buffy frowned as she looked around at the pouring rain and the miles of empty fields, she had forgotten that she was supposed to be a hardy Frontierswoman used to surviving in rough surroundings. She may have been the Slayer but she was a city girl at heart. 

William looked around and then up at the largest of the trees.

"Perhaps, we should get off the ground…" He gestured upwards. "…and get some sleep."

"You're kidding?!" Buffy did a double-take, staring up in the direction he was pointing. "You want to sleep up a tree?"

"Actually, Miss Buffy… I would very much like to get to my sister before your Angelus does…"

"He's not my Angelus." Buffy cut in defensively. 

"No, of course not." William replied apologetically. "But, I am assuming, that if he gets to my sister before we do, then I will never see her alive again." 

Buffy swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. 

"Then we should sleep. We have a long way to travel come morning and we will need our strength. If we sleep on the damp ground, we will not feel well tomorrow. Therefore, up the tree we must go." 

She couldn't fault his argument, so she shrugged and watched him walk up to the tree and start trying to climb it. She watched him struggle for a few minutes before she went over and gently pushed him out of the way. With a light jump, she grabbed onto a low branch and hauled her way upwards to a steadier footing. Then she reached an arm down to him. He was watching her with that awed expression again. She wasn't sure that she liked that he was in awe of her. It felt wrong somehow, like having a dopey pet puppy following you around. 

He took her hand and he clambered up to join her. Buffy sensed he was going to say something sappy, so she turned away and assessed the situation instead.

They were up quite high but in the centre of the tree, where the biggest branches split from the main trunk, there was a hollow just big enough for two people to curl up without falling out. They would have to curl up quite a lot though to squeeze in. 

William stilled the foolish words that he felt rising up in his throat. He wanted to tell this girl how wonderful she was but he knew he would just sound silly. He followed her gaze instead and his heart started pumping strongly. The space in the centre of the tree was tiny. They would have to curl up indecently close to one another to pass the night. 

"Umm… perhaps I should sleep on the ground?" He suggested nervously.

"Don't be silly." Buffy replied. "You're the one who suggested we come up here and it was a very sensible suggestion." She smiled with false bravado. "It'll be tight but I'm sure we can squeeze in."

She regretted the words as soon as she'd said them. It was only a very slight sexual connotation but it sent the temperature up a few degrees between them. William blushed pure scarlet, while Buffy blanched. 

"Er… we'll be able to… er… " She stuttered whilst her brain threw up unhelpful phrases like 'snuggle up'. 

"I'll climb down." William stated, turning to go. 

"No." Buffy said firmly and caught his sleeve. "We're adults. We can sleep together without it meaning anything." 

While Buffy's brain nearly exploded at another Freudian slip, William was actually calmed by the statement. Having no knowledge of the twentieth century interpretion of the phrase, he took it at face value. He was a gentleman, not a monster or a rake. He could sleep next to a lady without being a threat to her honour and her chastity. 

"Of course." He assured her politely. "You have nothing to fear from me, Miss Buffy."

Buffy smiled at the primness of his manner, catching on to his meaning. He was probably worried about her honour, like in some quaint old movie. 

"Likewise, William." She countered playfully and carefully moved to the centre of the tree, where she lay down. It wasn't the most comfortable of beds but it'd have to do. 

William followed suit, picked his way over and lay down with his back to her. They were touching from shoulder blade to buttocks and each lay very still. The contact was electric. Neither believed that they would fall asleep but the exhaustion of the day took over and they soon abandoned consciousness. 

The rain continued to fall in a curtain all around them. 

For the first time in months, Buffy did not dream of monsters or demons. 

Xxxxxx

Birdsong roused Buffy from sleep and she awoke feeling languid and cocooned in warmth. Strong arms were wrapped around her in a hold that was both firm and light. She let her head loll back against the warm chest and sighed dreamily. She hadn't woken in a man's arms since Riley had left and she hadn't realised how much she'd missed it. She could feel his involuntary erection against her lower back. His breath caressed her neck pleasantly, causing her to shiver. The shiver must have woken him up and he purred contentedly into her ear, pulling her momentarily closer. Then he froze and the pleasant dream was shattered. 

"Oh my goodness!" He exclaimed and pulled away quickly. 

Buffy let reality crash into her own head more slowly. She'd spent a wonderful, innocent, night curled up in his arms and it had done her spirit a power of good. She really liked William. 

He scuttled to his feet and Buffy joined him reluctantly. 

"I'm most incredibly sorry." He stuttered out, his face was bright red with embarrassment. 

"It's alright." She reassured him softly. "Nothing happened. It's alright."

"But I… " He couldn't finish but Buffy knew that he probably meant the erection. 

"It's alright." She spelt it out and smiled reassuringly. "It'll be our secret." She couldn't help but tease. He was too cute.

Buffy stretched and looked out across the fields. The day was bright and green (leafy again) with no trace of the previous nights rain. 

"Let's just hit the road, shall we?" She suggested.

"There's a road?" He looked in vain for it. 

"It's an expression." She replied. "It means let's get out of this tree and see if we can find a town. This is an island, isn't it? It can't be that big."

William smiled for the first time. 

"We may still have a few hours walk ahead of us." He pointed out.

"All the more reason to get moving." 

Xxxxxx

A short while later they were walking across fields again. The morning sunshine was warm but not unduly so. A light breeze swept over them playfully. 

Buffy couldn't help herself… she reached out and took William's hand. He was startled at first but he smiled and relaxed, keeping her hand inside his. 

They mostly walked in silence again but every so often one or the other would point out a feature of the landscape or an animal and conversation would turn to differences between England and California. Buffy kept it vague even when William pressed her for more information but it was light and fun. 

William picked a small blue flower and gave it to Buffy, tucking it carefully behind her ear. As he did so, he touched her cheek gently and smiled into her eyes. 

They carried on walking. 

"A road!" Buffy exclaimed about two hours into their walk. It was more like a dirt track but they chose to follow it as it curved it's way through the countryside. 

An hour later they saw a village next to a stream and grinned up at each other happily. It wasn't much civilization but their eyes were grateful to see it. Laughter and music were on the wind and they could see flashes of colour amongst the houses.

"It looks like a summer fair." William told Buffy.

It didn't look like any fair Buffy had ever seen but she took his word for it. 

They crossed a small stone bridge over the river and into the village. It didn't take them long to reach the village square where all around were stalls selling fresh produce, meat, cheese, breads, fish and trinkets of all kinds. On one side was a small stone church and on the other was a public house, with benches arranged outside. At the benches sat men drinking beer and everywhere there was people milling about, buying things and gossiping happily. 

In the center of the square a small stage had been set up and performers in bright clothes were re-inacting some old folk tale to the delight of the children. William told her to stay put and dashed off into the crowd, disappearing almost immediately. Buffy watched the play. 

It was a familiar theme. A demon seemed to be terrorizing a village and the villagers were amassed to fight it. They beat it with what looked like swollen leather bags on sticks and the demon ran away in fear. 

"As if." A sceptical Buffy muttered under her breath. 

Just then William returned with two small wooden jugs of some kind of golden drink.

"What is it?" She asked warily. "Because beer and Buffy do not mix." 

"It's cider." He replied. "It should not cause you too much harm. In moderation." 

"Good." She answered and took a sip. It wasn't bad. It was very sweet but it was refreshing. "Is there somewhere here we can catch a train or get a horse or something?" 

"No trains, I'm afraid, but we should be able to rent a carriage of some kind to convey us to the nearest town. Although, I'm not even sure where we are."

Xxxxxx

They asked at the public house for transport and were told that someone could drive them to the nearest town, Lincoln, but not until tomorrow. Everyone was busy enjoying the party. 

"Another day lost." William lamented.

"It'll be okay." Buffy reassured him. "Your uncle will have reached her by now. He'll have taken her somewhere safe."

"Hopefully." He replied. "If his stories are to be believed, then Uncle Monty will know what to do." He sighed.

"Come on, cheer up… just a little." She smiled. "Everything will be fine. Soon we'll get to York and I'll sort everything out. I promise."

"How can you promise that?" He frowned. "Are you a miracle worker?"

"Only on Tuesdays." She grinned. "Now, let's find somewhere to stay tonight that doesn't involve branches or leaves and then we might as well enjoy the show."

Xxxxxx

The party became raucous after night fell. There was dancing and singing and a lot of drinking. There were amusements that Buffy recognised as the ancestors of games she'd played at fairgrounds. Generally most things involved taking a ball and throwing it at something in order to win prizes. William insisted on trying his hand and won Buffy a bronze bracelet decorated with a blue enamel bird. 

"A fortune teller!" William exclaimed happily around 11pm. 

They had wandered out to the edge of the village to escape the crowd and there, just outside the circle of light, was small garishly coloured gypsy tent that appeared to glow with an inner light. 

"I don't think so." Buffy demurred. "I think I know all I need to about the future." 

"Come on…" William coaxed. "It's just a little fun."

Buffy rolled her eyes and let him drag her along. 

"Hello?" He called, as he pushed aside the curtain and entered. 

"Welcome." A husky voice replied from out of the darkness. A candle flared and a woman was revealed. 

The woman was dressed in rich robes and had a chain of golden coins hanging across her forehead. They contrasted sharply with her thick dark hair. Her dark eyes were framed by heavily made up lids and lashes. Her lips were a streak of deep purple. She momentarily reminded Buffy of Jenny Calendar but she thrust that thought very firmly away.

"Cross my palm with silver and I will tell your future." The Gypsy intoned invitingly. 

William grinned at Buffy and dug some money out from his drawstring purse. Buffy rolled her eyes some more. It was so cheesy. This woman was about as likely to see the future as William's shoe was. 

William reached forward and placed the coin in the woman's palm. The Gypsy reached the other hand up suddenly and clasped his hand in hers. The change in her was electric. Her eyes shot open wide and her lips parted on a gasp.

"Death." She hissed viscously. "You are death. Monster. Killer. Despoiler." 

"Stop." Buffy said, panicking.

"You will bring pain and death to the world. Darkness shall reign because of you." The Gypsy continued brutally.

"Stop." Buffy yelled and rushed the woman. 

Buffy forced the Gypsy away from William. He backed away startled and horrified. 

"Get out." Buffy ordered him but he did not move. She let go of the Gypsy and grabbed him, thrusting him bodily out of the tent. "Go back to the square. Don't come back here."

He turned on her angrily.

"No. I want to know what…"

"Get out, William." Buffy ordered. His eyes flashed fire and his mouth froze into a hard, thin line. He snorted, before turning and going.

Buffy momentarily closed her eyes and drew in a shaky breath.

"You can't protect him, Slayer." The Gypsy said softly from behind her. "He must die."


	9. The Face of the Future

Time Explains Us by Erykah Miszti

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

****

Chapter Nine: The Face of the Future

The party stopped and every blob of energy was sent back to their own cell to cool off. 

Xxxxxx

Buffy spun around to face the Gypsy.

"No!" She insisted. "It doesn't have to turn out that way."

"You understand nothing, little girl." The Gypsy said sadly. "What makes you think you know the future?"

"I know it. I come FROM the future. Or can't you see as far as that!" Buffy scoffed.

"I know all about you… Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." The Gypsy replied. Buffy tried not to react but she was still startled and suddenly very uncomfortable. "You closed the portal, you know. You saved your sister. Your friends think you're dead. They buried your lifeless – apparently dead - body. They grieve for you." She closed her eyes and inclined her head as if she were looking at something in the distance. "Especially the Witch. Her sorrow cuts across space and time like a knife. She burns."

Buffy blinked back tears at the thought of her friends in the future being sad. The Gypsy opened her eyes.

"Nice tombstone. Cute." She enthused cheerfully but then sobered up and looked sharply at Buffy. "The Vampire cried." She paused to sigh. "William must die. You cannot prevent it… or the world will end." 

"Okay, so you say 'he must die'." Buffy acknowledged with a dramatic over-emphasis on 'he must die'. "But what does that mean? There's death and then there's…"

"Vampires." The Gypsy smiled. "Come on, Slayer, what fun would be if I told you how the story ends? Besides, what if I'm not one of your white hats? Do you think a human being would be this good at telling the future? I could be a black hearted demon intent on messing with your head and you'd never know to look at me."

"I could threaten to kill you." Buffy suggested sarcastically.

The Gypsy shrugged.

"I can see the future, child. I know you wont kill me. What good would a threat be?"

"Are you a demon then?" Buffy asked, frowning. Her spider-sense wasn't exhibiting a single tingle.

"Half and half." She replied with a broad smile. "You'll work everything out, Slayer, maybe not yet but you'll understand eventually. "

"Why is it always with the riddles?" Buffy pouted. 

"Because you can't be told the truth. You have to work it out for yourself or you wont understand that is the truth."

"Thanks. You've been a great help." 

"I've been more help to you than your Watcher's Council will be. They have their own agenda." She cautioned.

"I know, but I need to get home." 

"Then put on your ruby slippers, click your heels and say it three times." The Gypsy shrugged dismissivley.

"Hey, how do you know that movie?" Buffy demanded.

"How many times! I can _see the future_… you think movies would have passed me by? It gets cold and lonely being a gypsy on the open road. It's like having video-on-demand… but I am more of a Matrix-girl these days. I love those flo-mo fight scenes." 

Buffy waved dismissively and turned to go but the Gypsy called her back.

"Slayer, it can be a terrible burden… knowing what the future holds. We all have a destiny but the paths we take to reach it are not always straightforward. You must walk your own path and allow others to do the same. Everything does happen for a reason. Time _will_ explain everything… oh, and sorry for the over reaction before... with William… I've been expecting you guys but it still felt like I overdid it." She smiled goofily. 

Buffy was totally thrown.

"What? You did that deliberately?" 

"Of course… everything for a reason. You'd better go find him."

Buffy glared at the Gypsy but headed for the door, or rather, the tent flap. She stopped at the last moment.

"Who are you?" She demanded curiously.

"Well, " Sighed the Gypsy. "Some might call me Mary Sue… but that would be really unfair. Since I'm not. I like to think of myself as more Deus Ex Machina but that'd be really pretentious of me." 

Buffy's frown was starting to resemble a geological fault line by this point in the Gypsy's babbling. The Gypsy smiled depreciatingly.

"I'm just a gypsy you happened to stumble across on your travels. If you'd gone five miles to the left, you'd have met my sister instead… she's really good with crystals. She couldn't have told you your future but, for a shilling, she'd have cleansed your aura." 

Xxxxxx

The festivities in the square were dying down now. A few drunken stragglers were all that remained of the revelers but, though she scanned the area carefully, Buffy couldn't spot William. 

Buffy wandered through the square until she came to the rough stage and she finally found William sat on the floor to the side of it. 

"William!" She sighed in relief. 

He snorted and looked up at her.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" He demanded. 

"What?" Buffy was blind-sided. She hadn't expected him to be angry. 

He stood up and walked towards her menacingly.

"I know I'm not much of a man, but I am a man." He informed her bitterly. "I wont be ordered around like a child... not by you or anyone." 

Buffy stood her ground.

"I was trying to protect you." She defended.

"Well, thank you." He sneered. "Making me look like a fool is a wonderful way to protect me. It isn't as if everyone has been doing that to me my entire life. I thought you were different."

"William… I'm sorry." Buffy tried to cut in but he was on a roll.

"I'm not a young boy in short trousers. I am grown up enough to make decisions about my own life." He took her arm roughly. "Now, I would like to know exactly what was going on back there." 

"You want to know what was going on?" Buffy demanded, shaking his hand off her. "That woman was a flake! She was a nutcase... insane. I wanted you out of there before she scared the pants off you!"

"You think I am frightened of a mad woman! After everything we've been through these past few days! You must think me a complete fool!"

"I don't think you're a fool, William…" Buffy interjected.

"A child then… to be protected and mollycoddled." He complained, striding away from her. 

"I'm not entirely sure what mollycoddled means… but…" Buffy broke off. "Oh, for pete's sake! I did what I thought was best at the time. That's what I do... protect people… and I don't have to answer to you about my actions." She stopped and sighed. "You have to trust me, even if you don't always like it. One day, I will explain it all to you… but not today."

He glared at her.

"That isn't good enough, Miss Buffy." He informed. "This is my life you're playing with… mine and my family's. I have a right to know what's going on." 

Buffy couldn't look at him any longer. The floor suddenly became very interesting.

"I can't tell you." She replied ineffectually. 

"Fine!" He snorted. "I place my life in your hands then, with no idea what it means to you or why you're doing this or what we're really dealing with. Save me, if you must, but do not speak to me again. We meet the coachman shortly after daybreak in front of the tavern. Be there promptly or I shall go without you." 

With that he walked off and left her there, stunned. 


	10. Recriminations on a Theme

**Time Explains Us by Erykah Miszti**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Chapter Ten: Recrimation on a Theme**

After promising to be good, the nebulous masses of energy were allowed back out to play…

Xxxxxx

 The carriage bounced along the tree-lined avenue with its occupants still sitting in stony silence. It had been this way for the duration of the journey, so far some 4 hours worth of it.

Buffy stared out of the window, not even daring glances at William as she had done earlier in the day. Each glance had been met with a pointed look away. He was aware of her attempts at eye contact but stubbornly refused it.

She hated this situation but she was convinced that she'd done the right thing. William could not have understood. Her telling him would have created more questions than she could possibly answer. She told herself that it wasn't fear that stopped her telling him, this was her job, her calling, to bear the knowledge alone.

The house appearing out of the trees stopped her line of thought. Built of red brick, the house was a single huge block… grandiose, majestic and framed by gigantic trees of a type with which Buffy was not familiar. Large white steps led up to a colonnade of columns, like a Greek temple. The sweeping gravel drive formed a circle in front of the house with an expanse of grass in the centre.

The carriage followed the road around and pulled up in from of the house.

To Buffy's intense relief a familiar figure come out of the house and stood upon the steps. She climbed out of the carriage without waiting for William and met him with a huge smile.

"You're safe." She stated with relief apparent in her voice.

"I'm glad I can say the same for you." Mortimer replied. "We expected you yesterday."

"We had some problems on the road." William said from behind Buffy as he climbed out of the carriage. He went forward and embraced his uncle warmly.

"Thank god." Mortimer breathed as he hugged the younger man. Buffy was struck again by the resemblance between them.

"William!" An excited voice cried from the direction of the house and they all turned in surprise as a young girl dashed towards them. She threw herself into William's arms.

"Summer, I've missed you." William told her with a genuine smile on his face as he hugged her tightly.

"His sister." Mortimer informed Buffy with a fond smile as he watched the pair of them. "I brought her here for safety."

"This is the Watcher's Council library?" Buffy asked, dragging her eyes away from the embracing siblings and forcing her mind off her own beloved sister who seemed to be about the same age as this girl.

"Yes." Mortimer replied.

"Some spread." Buffy commented, getting a puzzled frown from the Victorian man. "Uh, it's not really what I expected. Not that I knew what to expect."

"You've never visited here in your time?" Mortimer seemed shocked. "But all Slayers are brought here by their Watcher's at least once to meet with the entire Council. It's our secret retreat."

"Well, I'm not what you'd call a conventional Slayer." Buffy said wryly. "When can I meet with them?"

"They are in session right now, so I can introduce you at once if you like. But perhaps you'd prefer to get a little rest first?" He offered.

"No." Buffy said firmly. "Let's get it over with now."

"As you wish."

Buffy looked back at William and his sister, they were still hugging and both seemed to be crying.  

"Will they be alright?" She asked Mortimer. He sighed.

"Eventually. At least they have each other."

Buffy took a deep breath and set her resolve. They have each other, she thought, and I'll see to it that it stays that way.

The staircase went down and down and down. To Buffy it felt as if they'd already been descending for a good ten minutes and yet the stairs before them seemed interminable. There was a faint yellow glow in the distance but for a long time it never seemed to get any closer.

Eventually they walked out into a candle-lit corridor. Up ahead they could hear the murmur of voices. They stopped outside a wooden door covered in ancient looking carving. Buffy vaguely recognised them as Egyptian-ish.

"I've explained the pertinent points to them already." Mortimer informed her.

"Thanks." She replied. "So they already believe that I'm from the future?"

"Yes, they – apparently – used their physics to validate your story."

"Not more psychics." Buffy murmured under her breath. She'd had her fill of them.

"Ready?" Mortimer asked and Buffy nodded soberly. He gave her a reassuringly smile and knocked firmly on the door.

He opened it without waiting for an answer and guided her inside.

The huge room – vault - was dark despite being lit by the largest candles Buffy had ever seen in her life. The walls were lined with bookcases containing the usual large dusty-looking ancient tomes and interspersed with magical looking objects that Buffy vaguely recognised as the similar to those dotted around the Magic Box back home.

The ceiling momentarily caught her attention. It was remarkably high and the flickering candlelight occasionally highlighted monstrous looking carvings on the high vaulted beams.

"Slayer." A voice bellowed, dragging her attention back to the proceedings at hand. "Approach us."

Buffy gave a twisted smile at being ordered about so imperiously but did as she was asked.

The "table" was a frightening large circular affair with a large hole in the centre. The Council members (maybe 20 in all) sat around the outside. The candlelight left them mostly in shadow, so they were vague and ghostly presences.

At one end of the table was a gap so that someone could literally walk into the centre and be surrounded by the Watcher's Council. Buffy guessed that this whole scenario was designed to be intimidating (presumably especially to young Slayers). She smiled to herself. They didn't know that she wasn't that easily intimidated.

Buffy walked confidently into the centre and approached the man sitting exactly opposite the gap. He was sat in the fanciest chair so she guessed he was the head honcho.

"Hi. I'm Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer from the future." She said brightly. "Who are you?"

There was silence for a full minute and she could actually sense the affronted propriety all around her. She guessed that maybe they were used to meeker Slayers than herself. She half turned and saw Mortimer – standing just outside the circular table – trying to hide a smile.

"I'm Alexander Travers." The man sat at the head of the table informed her imperially. He was perhaps a little older than Giles but a little more grey about the temples. She couldn't see the colour of his suit in the half-light but she could see that it was very well made and even did a reasonable job of hiding his copious gut. His tone was as stiff as his high-necked collar.

"Travers..?"  Buffy questioned. "Cool."

"You've heard of me then?" He asked, curiously and set his shoulders a little straighter. "In the future?" 

Buffy smiled at the obvious vanity of the man, assuming he might be famous in the future.

"Not exactly." She replied puncturing his bubble. "In my time the Council is run by Quentin Travers." She shrugged. "I'm assuming he's your grandkid or something."

"I have no children." Travers replied stiffly, she seemed to have touched a nerve of some kind.

"Oh." Buffy stated, then smiled and went for a friendly tone. "Well, then don't give up trying."

Someone behind her snorted a laugh and everyone turned around in disgust but the candlelight made it impossible to see who had made the noise. After a beat, attention came back to Buffy and Travers. Buffy shrugged the moment off.

"Look," She began. "I need your help..."

"Tell us about the vampire." Travers cut in.

"The vampire..?" She questioned, having been caught out by the question.

"This... William the Bloody."

Buffy set her features to not show any emotion and looked around at the shadowy figures warily.

"That's information about the future." She told them. "I know my time travel movies, you're not supposed to share that."

"Dammit, girl! This is serious!" He exclaimed.

"You think I don't know that!" Buffy countered with barely controlled anger. "I'm a hundred years away from home... trapped in bizarro land… and all you want to know is what I can tell you about Spike?"

"Perhaps, you don't realise what you've done?" Another council member piped up. Buffy turned to look at him. He was a young man; fairly attractive and dressed as stiffly as Travers. "By saving his life, you've disrupted time!"

"Saving lives is what I do." Buffy replied simply.

"No." Travers interjected. "Your job is to fight the forces of Darkness."

"Yes, and thanks to me there's one less demon in the world."

"Yes and no." A female voice said from the shadows beyond the table. A gypsy walked into the light. "He must die. The future depends on it."

"Huh?" Buffy responded articulately.

"His suffering will save the world." The gypsy replied. "It is prophecy."

"Okay," Buffy said patiently. "Look, prophecies and all that. They can be changed. They don't always have to mean what you think they mean."

"We can send you home." Travers stated suddenly and Buffy turned sharply to face him. "We can return you to your family... to your sister." The word was like a knife inside her. He paused. "But, you must hand the boy over to Angelus. It is his fate."

"No!" Buffy stated flatly. "Just no. I won't hand him over to die. It goes against everything…"

"Then we regret that we cannot let you leave this place." Travers cut her off. "You will stay here – in this building - for the remainder of your natural life… and WE will hand the boy over to Angelus." 

 Buffy's eyes widened.

"You can't hold me here." She stated.

"I assure you, we can. We have been training Slayers for thousands of year's girl. If you think your strength can escape our prisons then you underestimate us."

Buffy snorted derisively.

"I'm not one of YOUR Slayers." She turned to go.

"We will give you one hour to decide." Travers informed her. "We would prefer to do this amicably. All you need to do is put right what you did wrong by ensuring that Angelus sires William. Then you can go home to your family as if you never left."

"I'll never hand an innocent over to that monster." She said through tight lips.

"You have one hour to re-think that decision or this home will become your tomb."

Buffy shook of Mortimer's hand as she ran out of the vault.

"Miss Buffy!" He called after her as she ran up the stairs.

She continued running when she reached the top, she ran out of the house and out across the lawn. She ran until she hit the barrier and fell into a crumpled heap on the floor. She stood up and tried again but to no avail, a barrier of energy surrounded the house. She banged on it with all her might but it just wouldn't break. She fell onto the wet grass crying with frustration.

She didn't know how long she sat there but a long shadow over her woke her up.

"I can't do it, Mortimer." She said. "I can't let him die."

Mortimer helped her to her feet.

"Miss Buffy," He began. "Much as it pains me… what if it is the right thing to do?"

"It's not." She stated defiantly. "I had this discussion with my Watcher before the last battle over the Hellmouth. He said I had to sacrifice my sister but he was wrong. I jumped into the portal instead and it closed. It worked without having to sacrifice her! There is always another way."

"This is not the same situation." He said softly. "These are events which have already happened."

"But, what if I'm here to stop this happening? What if the purpose of me being here is to save him?" She wiped tears from her eyes. "He's an innocent here. He doesn't deserve this fate. I can save him so much pain."

"Pain?" Mortimer queried. "A vampire does not feel pain."

"I would have agreed with you." She said sadly. "Until I met Spike."

"You care for this vampire a great deal, don't you?" He asked in wonder.

Buffy paused and looked away.

"I care for William." She replied softly, enigmatically. She looked up at Mortimer. "Where is he?"

"He is with his sister in the maze."

"Well, let's go get them both. We need to get out of here."

"Actually I was hoping you'd say that." Mortimer grinned. "I have just the escape route..."

"I thought you wanted me to go along with their plans?" Buffy was surprised.

"There is no definitive right and wrong here, Buffy. You must go with your heart."

"My heart says let's get the hell out of here!"

"Agreed."

Back in the Council chamber…

"She won't do it." The gypsy told Travers.

"She must." He replied.

"She wont."

"Can't we just hand him over ourselves?"

"No." The gypsy said firmly. "These events must run their course. You will let them go."

"Let them go!" He exclaimed.

"Yes. Trust me, Travers. Let them go."


	11. Make or Break

**Time Explains Us by Erykah Miszti**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Chapter Eleven: Make or Break**

The nebulous masses of energy paid the piper to start to tune.

Xxxxxx

Mortimer led Buffy confidently into the maze and Buffy thought how lucky it was that he was with her because the twists and turns of the bushy hedges had her thoroughly confused already. After only a few minutes they emerged into the centre.

William was seated on a stone bench in the centre of clearing with his young sister cradled against his chest. She had obviously been crying but seemed to have stopped now. William was looking down at her with so much emotion on his face that Buffy's heart bled for him. She knew what it was to lose a parent, losing both together in such a horrible fashion was too awful for her to even imagine.

As Buffy and Mortimer approached William looked up and his emotions vanished behind a set mask. He spoke softly to his sister and she left the protective circle of his arms and looked at Buffy. She stood up, pasted on a brave smile and held out her hand to Buffy.

"Miss Buffy, my brother has been telling me about you. Thank you for saving his life. I shall be eternally in your debt."

Buffy smiled warmly at the young girl.

"Anyone would have done the same but it's a pleasure to meet you." She looked over at William. "We're leaving now." She informed him.

"We only just arrived." He pointed out wryly.

"This location isn't as safe as we'd hoped." Mortimer told him.

"Do you have some transportation arranged for us, because the carriage I hired will have left by now?"

Mortimer smiled knowingly.

"I have it all arranged."

He withdrew a bottle and what appeared to be an amulet – a piece of heavy gold jewellery with diamonds embedded into it - from his pocket.

"What are they, Uncle Morty?" Summer enquired curiously.

"Something very special." He replied. "Now you mustn't be afraid, my dear. This is going to seem very strange."

"Is it magic?" She asked with an excited tremor in her voice. "Like in your stories?"

"Yes it is." He told her with the gravitas of a stage magician.

Buffy saw William roll his eyes and she smiled. He may have come to believe in vampires but magic was obviously a harder sell. She watched Mortimer curiously. Surely he wasn't thinking of a teleportation spell…

Mortimer beckoned them all closer to him and made them take hold of the amulet between them. William did so reluctantly. Mortimer then opened up the bottle and a pungent smell of mint filled the clearing. He shook the contents of the bottle over the amulet and then all of them too, covering them with tiny flecks of gold. He muttered under his breath in a language Buffy didn't understand.

"For goodness sake!" William exclaimed impatiently.

But suddenly the clearing and the maze disappeared and they were standing inside a circle of candles within a dark room lined with books.

"Powerful." The gypsy said, impressed.

"What?" Travers demanded, putting down his book and giving her his full attention.

"Magic." She replied. "They're gone."

"Did you let down the barrier?"

"I didn't need to."

There was a thump to Buffy's right and she turned to see William land heavily on his ass. Summer laughed.

"That was wonderful, Uncle!" She said brightly.

"Are you alright?" Mortimer asked Buffy.

"I'm fine." She replied and then tried to move and staggered instead. "Well, mostly." She smiled wryly.

"Things went badly then." A female voice inquired and everyone turned to look at the beautiful dark haired woman standing in the doorway.

"Sadly, yes." Mortimer told her as he stepped out of the circle and went towards her. "Everyone, this is Lorraine Whittington, a good friend of mine and the finest witch on the blessed Earth."

He smiled at her fondly.

"Not the finest." She said depreciatingly as she smiled just as fondly back at him. Buffy could easily pick up on the subtext flowing between the two of them. They weren't just friends.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Lorraine said sweetly. "I wish it had been in better circumstances."

"You fixed this spell?" Buffy asked her.

"Yes." She replied. "It was something I learnt from a Shaman in Africa a few years ago."

"It was impressive. I have a friend back home who's been trying teleportation but it takes a lot out of her."

"The secret is in the purity of the gold and in finding perfect harmony with the Earth. I've been experimenting with using the spell to move trans-dimensionally but I just can't get that quite right. I can take or send you anywhere on Earth but no where beyond."

Buffy's eyes brightened hopefully but Lorraine sighed.

"I'm sorry Miss Summers; I haven't been able to make it work through time either. That is just another dimension which also seems closed to me. I'm very sorry but I can't use it to send you home."

"That's okay." Buffy lied and squashed down the hopes that had been raised inside her. "And it's just Buffy."

Lorraine nodded an acknowledgement.

"I'm sure you're all very tired and hungry. I've had rooms prepared for you and dinner will be at seven."

"Um," William began; he was now back on his feet again. "Where are we?"

Mortimer laughed.

"This is Lorraine's home. It was left to her by her poor husband who died many years ago. He was a Laird, don't you know, we're in Scotland." He told him.

"Scotland?!!!" William exclaimed. "But..?"

"Come my boy," Mortimer cut in. "I'll show you to your room and explain on the way."

Mortimer led a protesting William out of the room.

"Explain to me too!" Summer exclaimed and ran after them.

"Where is Scotland?" Buffy asked Lorraine conspiratorially. "Is that still in England?"

Lorraine laughed.

"Not quite." She replied ruefully and explained it to her.

Buffy was happy to find fresh clothes laid out for her in her room. They were even the right size, it must have been down to the witch thing, she thought wryly.

She ignored them for the moment though and lay down on the bed to try and get a little sleep. It wouldn't come.

The room itself was beautiful. A giant dark wood four poster bed dominated it but didn't dwarf it at all. The ceiling was 15ft above her head and the floor was flag stones covered with rich deep rugs.

The place they'd been magically transported to turned out to be a castle perched on a rock overlooking the sea on one side and mountains on the other. It was a virtual fortress. For the first time in days Buffy felt safe from Angelus.

She'd been trying not to think about what would happen next but alone in her room she couldn't help but wonder. Angelus wouldn't just stop looking for them. He never stopped. His obsession would only grow. Could they live here in this castle forever? Would they even be safe here?

Then there was the Watchers Council. What would they do now that she had defied them? She'd never really thought about them in Sunnydale apart from finding them irritating whenever they came calling. Back then she hadn't pictured them as a powerful, worldwide force. They'd seemed so ineffectual. She'd imagined them all to be like Wesley, a bit pathetic and out of touch. Having seen their "retreat" and that energy barrier she realized that she couldn't underestimate them.

They claimed to have the power to send her home. Could they be bargained with? No, they wanted her to give up William. She wasn't prepared to compromise on that.

What about William? She wasn't prepared to give him up to Angelus. William was special; he was pure and innocent. He wasn't a part of this sordid world of vampires and demons. He was normal. However, there was the fact that everyone she met seemed to bring up some kind of prophecy about him. Prophecies could be changed but she really needed to know more about it before she just discounted it.

She needed Giles to research it. No, she just needed Giles full stop. And Willow. And Xander. And Dawn. She had always felt so alone as the Slayer but now she needed her friends and they weren't here and she was lost without them. If she ever did make it home, she promised, she'd cling onto them so tightly and make sure they knew how much she loved them.

Was she ever going to get to go home? Was she ever going to see Spi..?

A knock at the door stopped her train of thought and she was quite thankful for it because she'd been just about to head off into dangerous territory.

"William!" She exclaimed in surprise as she opened the door. So much for not thinking of Spike, she thought ironically.

He looked at her soberly.

"I've come to apologise for my rude behaviour these past few days."

"There's no need. We both.." She began.

"There's every need." He cut her off. "May I come in?"

"Of course." She stood back to let him in and closed the door behind him.

He went straight over to the window and looked out across the view of the mountains beyond. She stayed silent and waited for him to speak. The fading sunlight chased shadows across his cheekbones and turned his hair lighter, almost white, almost…

"Buffy, I feel such a fool. I always knew that I was inexperienced about the world but the world I imagined is nothing like the one I find myself inhabiting now. There's magical transportation and vampires trying to kill me. It's all so very strange."

He paused to draw a deep breath and Buffy waited, letting him work through it for himself. She remembered a scared little girl standing in a cemetery with a stake in her hand having been told that she's the Slayer and must fight evil.

"I know you have secrets. I know that there's still more of this that I don't know. I wish you could tell me. I would love it if you trusted me enough to tell me everything. I hope someday you will. But I do understand that you feel you can't. That's your right. I understand that you feel you're protecting me by shielding me from this. I thank you for that protection. I hope you'll also extend it to my sister because I don't know if I can protect from this horrible world and I hate myself for that." He gave a small sob. "I don't want her to die because I can't protect her."

Buffy felt tears fall down her cheeks. She felt the same way about Dawn. She knew exactly how he felt. She crossed to him and put her arms around him resting her cheek on his back.

"Of course I'll help, William. I'll help you protect your sister, as if she was my sister too."

"Thank you." He replied with feeling.

They stayed that way for a long moment before William turned around. Buffy initially let her arms drop to her sides but then she reached up again to brush the tears off his face in wonder. She'd never imagined this face - his face - with tears on it. The gypsy had told her that Spike cried for her in the future. This face streaked with tears for her was the most beautifully tragic thing she could imagine. Then he reached up to brush her tears away too and their eyes locked. The kiss seemed inevitable.

Their lips had barely touched before Buffy pulled back and turned away to hide her feelings from him.

"I'm sorry. I can't." She told him. "Everything's so messed up right now. It wouldn't be fair to lead you on like this."

There was a long moment of silence behind her.

"I've known how I feel about you since the first moment I saw you." He said softly. "It was as if we were meant to meet, as if time itself had conspired to place us together."

Buffy licked dry lips and tried to speak but couldn't find any words. She had to remind herself that he still thought she was from the Wild West; he didn't know she had travelled in time to get here. It was too weird him saying that. She had to harden her heart, he was just being romantic. Oh god, he was being romantic!

"I know you're trying to get home but… are you sure you couldn't make a new home, here, with me?"

It was suddenly all too much, everything she'd been through in the past few days came spilling out and Buffy burst out in great choking sobs.

"Oh god, I'm sorry." William exclaimed. "I didn't mean to make you cry." He reached out towards her but his hands stopped as if he didn't dare touch her.

"Why is this happening?!" She cried. "I went through so much with Glory and my sister, you'd think I get a break but instead I'm trapped a lifetime away from Sunnydale, away from all my friends and… and... I'm facing Angelus again. Angelus! It nearly broke me last time. I loved him and that let him hurt me so much."

William's face fell in horror and Buffy saw it through her tears.

"He wasn't always Angelus." She told him sadly. "He was kind and sweet once and I trusted him to never hurt me, never leave me but he did both, so many times." She scrunched her eyes up. "William, I'll never let him have you. I'll never let him hurt you." Her voice broke on the emotion. "He'll never hurt either of us again."

"Buffy," He said softly and went down on his knees before her. She looked at him in shock. "I love you. Let me look after you. You can protect me, but let me protect you too. This Angelus, let him be in the past for you and build a future with me instead. Let me love you; let me make both of us forget him. If we're happy then he can never hurt us."

He took her hands into his.

"Stay here with me, Buffy. Marry me."

A million "Buts.." flashed through her head. Then she knew, looking down into those beautiful blue eyes, she just knew something she'd been hiding from herself for a very long time. She loved Spike... But she couldn't have Spike because he was a vampire and an evil undead thing who'd hurt her like Angelus did or have to leave her like Angel did. She could see Spike in William just as before she'd glimpsed William inside Spike. This William WAS Spike but without the evil demon bit. And it was in her power to stop those evil bits from ever being there. She could love him without any qualification, as she'd never been able to love anyone before. She could let herself love this man. It was like having Spike but having a normal life all at the same time!

"It's just so sudden. I don't know what to say." She told him, still thinking it over.

In the future they thought she was dead. Maybe she was. Maybe this was heaven and maybe this was her reward for being a hero and saving the world. Maybe she was being given William as a prize. Maybe he was a pure version of Spike and he was her reward.

They could get married. They could have children. They could have grandchildren!

This was why she was here… to save the man she loved and be with him. The future would carry on fine without her and she'd miss her friends but she could build a new life here. Ashe could build a normal life where she didn't need to be the Slayer to the whole world and could just be a woman with a man. She really could. It was only a chance but it was a chance that she couldn't - shouldn't - let slip away from her.

"Just say yes, and make me the happiest man on Earth." He gushed, desperately, romantically.

Buffy grinned and gave in. She threw herself into his arms and let herself go, honestly and completely, for the first time in years.

"Oh Spike! Of course it's yes." She exclaimed and kissed him.

William was so happy and so busy kissing her back that he didn't even realise that she'd called him Spike, not William.


End file.
